Aussie flight attendant for Emirates talks about her time on the job

HAVING worked her way from economy to first class during an eight-year stint with Emirates, it’s safe to say flight attendant Amber Vidler has seen — and heard — it all.

The 35-year-old from Terrigal, NSW, had previously been working in a sports management company but had always wanted to live in cosmopolitan Dubai and explore the world, so she snapped up the chance to become a cabin crew member.

Now, she travels all over while ensuring first class passengers are happy. She talks to news.com.au about what the job is really like, and busts some rumours including who’s the most demanding flyer.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES WORKING BETWEEN ECONOMY, BUSINESS AND FIRST CLASS?

“The main difference across the three classes is the amount of passengers and how we conduct the in-flight service. As there are more passengers in economy and business class, it can be very busy. We need to begin our service soon after takeoff to ensure we get through everyone. I find working in the first class cabin is surprisingly a lot calmer and more relaxed, as there are fewer customers.

“I currently work on the B777 aircraft and on average, there are between eight and 14 passengers in the first class cabin, while in business class there can be up to 42 passengers and up to 386 passengers in economy. While on our superjumbo A380 there are 14 first class seats, 76 business class seats and up to 427 economy seats.

“The main difference from a service perspective in first class is ‘dine on demand’, which allows passengers on flights over four hours and 40 minutes, to choose when they would like to be served their meals.”

“Contrary to what people may believe, first class passengers aren’t overly demanding. In fact, most would rather sleep during the flight, and not be disturbed.”

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON — AND UNUSUAL — REQUESTS YOU’VE RECEIVED?

“In first class they love their caviar! They also like their beds to be made for them. In business and economy, the common requests are for particular drinks when flying to a certain destination. This might be as a result of the nationality of those travelling but here are some of the common ones:

• On flights to England: gin and tonic.

• On flights to Russia: tomato juice.

• On flights to China: hot water.

• On flights to India: whiskey.

“There aren’t too many unusual requests but one I thought was strange was a serving of caviar with all the condiments but without the actual caviar! Oh and a cup of coffee with black tea added.”

What do passengers want?

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES?

“Every time I come to work I meet so many people, both customers and other cabin crew. The conversations, advice and stories I’ve shared with so many different nationalities and cultures have been priceless.

“We sometimes get high profile passengers on our flights, however, we only find out who they are during our pre-flight briefing. One of my more memorable flights was when we had the whole Arsenal Football Club fly with us from the UK to Singapore. It was kept secret as there were no other passengers, just the players, team management and everyone else involved with the club. It was interesting to see how many people are involved behind the scenes for a football team.

“They were all very polite and professional, I just wish I knew more of their names as I’m not a big fan of football! Like any other high profile passengers, we weren’t allowed to take photos. I also had the pleasure of having Angelina Jolie Pitt on my flight from Islamabad to Dubai several years ago. We were all star struck to meet her and she was lovely.”

Yep, first class is pretty special. Picture: Kate Schneider

WHAT IT TAKES TO WORK IN BUSINESS AND FIRST CLASS

All Emirates cabin crew start off in economy class to begin their careers and are required to participate in further training to proceed to business and first class. At present, Emirates employs more than 20,000 cabin crew members who have all trained at the Emirates Aviation College Cabin Crew Training Centre.

The training includes a combination of both theoretical and practical components, with the latter taking place in full motion simulators of all aircraft types. For a new cabin crew member, the training takes place over seven weeks on all Emirates aircraft: A330/A340, 777 and A380. The course covers all aspects of a crew member’s role, including:

• Evacuation, and safety and emergency procedures

• Group medical training

• Cabin service training

• Image and uniform

• Duty free sales

After seven weeks, a new recruit is ready to commence their career as an Emirates cabin crew member in economy class. After 12-18 months, they will be eligible to advance on to business class and after a further 12 months, they can train to become a first class cabin crew.

To be promoted to each class requires five days’ intensive training, during which the crew member learns the new product, cabin layout, customer expectations, as well as the techniques of creating a fine dining in-flight experience.

It doesn’t stop at first class either as cabin crew can then apply to be promoted to senior flight steward/ess, and finally purser, which is the highest position a cabin crew member can obtain. The purser has usually been a senior flight steward/ess for one to two years and is responsible for managing staff in all three cabins and liaising directly with the captain.

It takes a minimum of six months of ‘on-the-job’ training, and you need to complete a portfolio of tasks and courses in order to be promoted to the position.

Emirates also has a multinational cabin crew, which currently has members from over 130 countries speaking more than 60 languages.

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